Entering the library with Charlotte close to him, he knelt in front of Belle.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Charlotte wants to hang out with you. Do you want her around?”
“Why would she want to do that?” Belle asked.
“She’s looking for a friend. Like you are.”
“I don’t know,” Belle said. “Why would she want to be friends with a woman who stole her fiancé?”
“I don’t really want him. You’ve done me a favor,” Charlotte said.
“We’ve got a plan to put in place, and I need to go and take care of some business. I’ll be taking Richard with me. I can leave you alone with my dad—”
“Charlotte’s fine.”
He chuckled. Grabbing her face, he slammed his lips down on hers. “I love you, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Getting to his feet he looked at Charlotte. “Anything happens to her, I’ll hold you personally responsible.”
“You can’t go around threatening people,” Belle said.
“I can do whatever the hell I want. I’ll be back. Try not to get into trouble.”
“I’m not a child.”
He laughed, leaving Belle and Charlotte alone. He found Richard in the main dining room.
“How do you feel about killing Angelo?”
“It’s on my list of things to achieve before I turn fifty,” Richard said.
“I want to deal with him now. I am done with all of this waiting.”
“Angelo will follow you wherever you go, Diego. You want to deal with him now, at Belle’s apartment. I can do that. You can’t take any bodyguards with you. You’ve got to go alone.”
“That’s why I want you to come with me.”
“I’m coming with you, regardless. I blend into the crowd, and he won’t even have a clue I’m there,” Richard said.
“We can’t draw attention.”
Richard leaned back in his chair. “We won’t. He’ll come to Belle’s apartment. I can guarantee you he will. He’s probably already set a trap there for you. You’ll be walking in blind. It’s the one place you’re going to need to go that you haven’t.”
“I don’t care. I’ve always won against Angelo. There’s nothing he can try that I don’t already know. Question is, do you trust me?”
“You’ve not given me any reason to doubt you. It’s why I’m still here. Let’s go.” Richard disconnected his laptop, bringing it along with him.
“Do you carry that thing everywhere?”
“Yep. You never know when you might need to hack into something.”
Diego informed his head of security what he intended to do and ordered them to keep their distance, not to draw attention, and to listen for his signal if he even gave one.
Climbing into the car, he pulled out of the driveway, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake leaving Charlotte and Belle alone.
“What’s your plan?” Richard asked, opening up his laptop. “You’ve got to be ready in case Angelo strikes.”
“I’m sneaking into Belle’s apartment. If he’s there, he’s going to expect me to come through the front door, not the back door.”
He glanced over when Richard didn’t respond. “That actually sounds logical. Angelo will be alone.”
“How do you know?”
“Simple, too many men will alert you. The idea is to be ready for you.” Richard opened up his laptop and started doing some clicking. Diego found it really irritating. “I can confirm our boy has been making random visits to Belle’s apartment.”
“He has?” Diego’s rage went up a notch. He had to get himself under control before he completely lost it.
“We checked all his usual hideouts, and I kept surveillance on Belle’s place, just in case he decided to check it out. He’s been there only a couple of times, always waiting and checking for you. When he gets bored, he leaves. This is the one place he’s going to best you. By thinking he has the element of surprise. He knows you’re in love with Belle. What better place to hide than the apartment he thinks you won’t be cautious over?”
“It sounds stupid, but it would explain why we can’t find him.”
“He’s probably been hiding out with the Russians, Diego. There’s no way I can get into any of their safe houses or places.”
“Angelo likes to think that he’s smart. He’s really not, and this just proves it. He doesn’t think I’d suspect Belle’s apartment because I’m too busy taking care of her, even though that’s where I planned to go first, but I got distracted and busy. He’s an asshole, not smart. Either way, it’s the only place he could go where he thinks he has a chance of besting me.”
“I’ve got your back, Diego. He won’t win this. I promise.”
“I believe you. I imagine Angelo’s reputation is holding on by a thread with how fucking stupid he’s looked, thinking he can take us all on without any consequences. He’s only good at hiding. Deep down, Angelo’s a big coward.”
“You think he’s actually done a deal with the Russians where he hands over the boss and he gets power? Like he believes that will happen?”